Donald Nickolas, age 82 of Wayne, went home to be with his Lord and Savior, as his family lovingly stood by his side, on Tuesday, June 11, 2013.

Don was born and raised in Paterson where, already as a very young boy, he was never happier than when he was dropping his fishing line in the Passaic River. His fishing habit drove his parents crazy as Don couldn’t swim. On numerous occasions his Mom and Dad ordered Sonny not to go down by the river, but those fish seemed to call him and so he went anyway.

Donald attended Paterson Vocational School and later served in the United States Navy during the Korean War from 1951 to 1955. His time aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gilbert Islands led him to numerous destinations such as Hawaii, Italy, Japan and France. At one point during his service he came home on leave. He had a buddy named John who was also home on leave and who happened to be the cousin of a pretty girl named Hilda Meyer. John invited Don to come over Hilda’s house and when Don’s eyes fell upon Hilda, he exclaimed to his friend John, “who’s that chick?” Don and Hilda took a real liking to each other so they continued to correspond via letters for two years while Don finished his service in the Navy. When he returned to the states, Don wasted no time in asking Hilda for her hand in marriage and, following a one-year engagement, they married in the Preakness Christian Reformed Church on April 21, 1956. At the time, the little white church building was located on what is now the property where Wayne Valley High School stands. The church’s congregation later built a new church building across the street and, although the church’s name was later changed to Preakness Valley United Reformed Church, Don and Hilda remained faithful members over the entire 57 years that they were married! As a member of the church, Don served faithfully for many years on the church council as a deacon and he sang in the choir. He also served as a youth leader and a member of the facilities committee.

Following their honeymoon in Miami Beach, FL, Don and Hilda settled into their newly rented home in Little Falls. Soon after, God blessed them with a baby boy who they named Robert. Donald worked a job driving an egg delivery truck while taking a correspondence course in drafting. He eventually took a position as a draftsman at Avian Corporation in Paramus. Later, he joined the drafting workforce at Singer Kearfott Corporation in Totowa where he remained through several company splits. Through those splits he eventually retired after a long and rewarding career as a designer and draftsman in 1993 with BAE Systems in Wayne. During the span of his career Don and Hilda eventually moved to Wagaraw Boulevard in Prospect Park where they welcomed another boy who they named Donald and a baby girl who they named Karen. The family moved one more time in 1961 to Wayne where they welcomed their fourth child, another boy who they fittingly named Wayne.

Don enjoyed putzing around in the fresh air of his back yard, especially after a long day at work. He always had a vegetable garden and also enjoyed planting flowers and keeping the grass well-manicured. Don was a family man who loved it when his sons or grandchildren would challenge him to a friendly game of rook or join him in watching a game of Giants football. He loved the Giants and was recently treated with a ball signed by the Giant’s own Victor Cruz. He also loved ice-cream, especially vanilla, and during the past five months while Don was sick, his son Wayne took advantage of Carvel’s buy-one-get-one-free deal every Wednesday and the two of them would enjoy that delicious ice-cream together. Fishing also continued to be a favorite pastime and, although he never did learn to swim, Don loved to go fishing at Point Pleasant with his wife, sons and grandsons.

Throughout his adult life, Don, Hilda, the children and later on, the grandchildren, would enjoy annual summer vacations in North Wildwood and, each Christmas, He and Hilda treated the whole family to a family vacation in Lancaster PA where they all stayed at the Willow Valley Resort. During autumn everyone would travel north to Hilda’s sister’s home in Springfield, VT where they enjoyed a family re-union including apple picking and seeing the splendor of God’s creation expressed through the beauty of the fall foliage.

As important as family and fishing were to Don, he was truly most thankful that his children and grandchildren embraced the same love that he had for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the Tanis home the spiritual nourishment derived from the reading of the Holy Bible every night after dinner was just as important as the physical nourishment obtained from the delicious dinners that Don’s wife Hilda served. One of Don’s favorite passages was Psalm 139 which says:

13 For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

His family will be eternally grateful for Don’s spiritual guidance!

Donald is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Hilda (Meyer); his four dear children: Robert and wife Jody of Oak Ridge, Donald and wife Debra of Wayne, Karen and husband Vincent Castaldi of Sparta, and Wayne and wife Debra of Wayne; his ten adored grandchildren: Julie and husband Bobby Barclay, Jason, Sarah, Steven, Nicholas, Christopher, Joshua, Michael, Patrick, and Randy; one expected great-grandchild; and his brother Jim and wife Kathy Tanis of Milford, DE.

In lieu of flowers and as an expression of sympathy, if friends so wish, donations may be made in Donald’s memory to the Eastern Christian Children’s Retreat, 700 Mountain Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ 07481, or online at www.eccretreat.org